What happens when the house is accused of stacking the deck? It’s a truth that Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson, a man who redefined the RB position, just dragged into the blazing sun. As the NFL’s long arm reached into the 2025 draft, Eric Dickerson, on the Roggin and Rodney show, didn’t just suggest—he stated with conviction from a “excellent source” that the league office sent a message to its teams.

“Do not draft him. We’re gonna make an example out of him.” The ‘him’ in question? Shedeur Sanders, the record-shattering Colorado quarterback, whose slide to the fifth round became the draft’s most perplexing mystery. Per Dickerson, it was a calculated power move.

The objective, as Dickerson laid bare, was to see Sanders go completely undrafted, a stunning fall from grace for a player who threw for over 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns just a season prior. “That’s exactly what was going to happen,” Dickerson said. The plan allegedly shifted only when the slide became too glaring, too obvious. “Somebody called the Cleveland Browns and said, ‘Don’t do that, draft him.’ Because they weren’t going to draft him either… They were forced into drafting him.” That revelation says a lot about the league’s mindset.

And in a twist of irony, that forced pick immediately paid dividends. Sanders silenced initial doubters in his preseason debut, putting up a stellar stat line against the Panthers: completing 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in a dominant 30-10 win.

It’s a charge that echoes through NFL history, recalling the leverage plays of legends like John Elway or the outright avoidance of a talent like Bo Jackson. But this feels different. This isn’t a player wielding power; it’s the institution flexing its muscle, seemingly over factors that stray from the pure evaluation of game tape.

For Sanders, the accolades were undeniable: a 74% completion rate, Colorado’s single-season passing record, and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. His résumé screamed first-round pick. His draft party ended in the fifth. Yet, if the league intended to make an example of him, the example being set is one of relentless resilience. Landing with the Cleveland Browns, Sanders immediately adopted a mature, professional mantra.

Sanders’ resilience in Cleveland

He gives himself ’12 hours to be happy’ about any success before getting back to work. His focus isn’t on the noise or the slight; it’s on the grind. “I really don’t look (at the backup spot). I don’t care. Whenever it’s time for me to get out there and play, I’m going to play,” Sanders said with a quiet confidence that belies the drama. “I’m not concerned about when it is… I know when the lights come on, when everything is going on, when the pressure is on, you know who I am.” This mindset has already begun to endear him to a veteran Browns locker room.

Starting QB Joe Flacco noted that Sanders’s positive attitude “has brought a fun aspect to training camp,” a crucial element for the long grind. He’s found a mentor in Tyler Huntley, who has stayed after practice to work with him, refining the details of the playbook. “The fact that Huntley is here, I feel like God sent him here for a reason,” Sanders admitted, appreciating the guidance.

The poetic beauty of this saga is found in the contrast. It’s the image of a powerful league allegedly attempting to dim a young star’s light, only to see that star plug into a new source of energy and shine even brighter through sheer will. Shedeur Sanders, the kid who was too entitled for some draft rooms, is now the humble rookie learning from journeymen, embracing his role, and waiting for his moment. He understands the assignment. “I know my time, whenever that is, I’ll be ready for it, and I’m going to embrace that, but in due time… all I look at it is that I’m getting more time to cook,” said Sanders, reflecting his confidence. He is doing what he can do best, but his fall in the draft was not his fault.

Eric Dickerson exposed a potential dark side of the business, a glimpse of the machine’s true colors. But in doing so, he inadvertently illuminated Shedeur Sanders’ path, transforming a draft fall into a compelling story of defiance and determination. The league may have written the first act, but Sanders is already drafting the rest.